Consultation Doc - Vets and Veterinary Services

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Report – Vets and Veterinary Services

Telephone: 020 7904 6126
Email: ...
Website www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/ahws/strategy.htm

Date 16 January 2004

Dear Stakeholder

House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Report – Vets and Veterinary Services

I am writing to seek your views on the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Sixteenth Report – Vets and Veterinary Services, published on 15 October 2003. The Committee was tasked to examine 4 particular areas –

What impact current levels of farm income are having on the usage of veterinary services; and, in turn, what effect any reduction in the usage of such services is having on the number of practices dealing with large (farm) animals;

What effect any reduction in the usage of veterinary services and a shortage of large animal vets is having on health and welfare standards, and on the effectiveness of surveillance for animal diseases;

Whether the requirements placed on farmers by Government, including those in the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, are realisable in such circumstances; and

What is the impact on the work of the State Veterinary Service
The report was summarised by the Committee;

"Although there are sufficient vets in total, there are concerns about whether there are enough large animal practitioners. The economics of farming is leading to less use of veterinary services and is further reducing the attractiveness of large animal practice.

At the same time the Government's animal health and welfare and veterinary surveillance strategies appear to require a greater on-farm presence of veterinary surgeons.

Defra needs to be aware of the impact its strategies and changes to food safety rules will have on current and future demand for veterinary surgeons. The Department should also address the supply of vets by, for example, reviewing its funding of veterinary research which underpins teaching. It should also work with the veterinary colleges to examine other aspects of training.

The State Veterinary Service has a key role to play in delivering the animal health and welfare and veterinary surveillance strategies. It must bring forward appropriate policies, and it must also improve its links with private sector vets to ensure that all those who play a part in improving the animal health and welfare of the nation are equipped to do so."

The full report produced by the Committee contains conclusions and a number of recommendations (which are attached as an annex to this letter), as well as minutes of proceedings, and oral and written evidence , and is available from TSO (The Stationary Office) shops, or the Parliamentary Bookshop, 12 Bridge Street, Parliament Square, London, SW1A 2JX, and on the Internet at –

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmenvfru/703/70304.htm

Defra is required to respond to the report, and the Committee have agreed to allow Defra to report later this year, to enable effective consultation with stakeholders through a working group, and to utilise the information provided by the ongoing Animal Health and Welfare Strategy and the Strategy for Enhancing Veterinary Surveillance in the UK. We would value comments and views on the Committee recommendations, particularly within the context of the existing consultation exercises on the Implementation Plan for England for the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy.

The deadline for all comments is 09 April 2004.

Email responses can be sent to ... or by post to:

Veryan Nicholls
Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Unit,
Defra,
Rm 103,
1A Page Street,
London SW1P 4PQ.

In line with Defra's policy of openness, at the end of the consultation period copies of the responses we receive may be made publicly available through the Defra Information Resource Centre, Lower Ground Floor, Ergon House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR. The information they contain may also be published in a summary of responses.

If you do not consent to this, you must clearly request that your response be treated confidentially. Any confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system in e-mail responses will not be treated as such a request. The Information Resource Centre will supply copies of consultation responses to personal callers or in response to telephone or e-mail requests (tel: 020 7238 6575, e-mail: .... Wherever possible, personal callers should give the library at least 24 hours' notice of their requirements. An administrative charge will be made to cover photocopying and postage costs.

I look forward to hearing your views

Kind regards

Originally from: Pat Gardiner
                        

Author wrote:
House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Report – Vets and Veterinary Services
Telephone: 020 7904 6126
Email: ...
Website www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/ahws/strategy.htm
Date 16 January 2004
Dear Stakeholder
House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Report – Vets and Veterinary Services
I am writing to seek your views on the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Sixteenth Report – Vets and Veterinary Services, published on 15 October 2003.

<snip detail<

Don't have anything to do with it, if you intend criticising the State Veterinary Service.

As soon as Page Street get wind of it – and they will. You will get a series of visits with the fairly obvious intention of frightening you off.

If you show spirit, they will carry out their threats, usually an attempt to frame you into some imaginary breach of their regulations and/or killing your animals.

It won't be a junior official either, the visitors will come right from the top.They will be trying to get you out of your home and stitch you up with a criminal offence.

You will have to get an appeal through to The Speaker, and although the miscreants will be called off and an investigation ordered, a requests for witness protection will be refused.

Further faking will take place and an investigation in Scotland ordered in respect of alleged criminal offences in England.

Your original evidence will not be printed (one A4 page) "to save printing costs" and the "investigation" will never report.

You will eventually have to go to OLAF (the EC Fraud Squad.) They will treat you will real courtesy and show considerable interest in just what has been going on in England.

Wasn't it the current PM that some years ago, told us to give out loyalty to Europe in future?

You will be left thoroughly disillusioned and with an even lower opinion of politics and the ethics of the Civil Service in Britain than you had before.

Any attempt to fight back will meet orchestrated abuse and disinformation from the people you sought to help.

However, if you keep going long enough and with enough dedication, and with clean hands – you can change things for the better.

But it is a long dangerous road.

Regards
Pat Gardiner
www.go-self-sufficient.com